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NASA Selects UMass Dartmouth Graduate as one of the New Astronauts for Future Space Exploration

Scott D. Tingle, 43, a mechanical engineering alumnus, was among nine people selected by NASA for the 2009 astronaut candidate class. The group, selected from 3,500 applicants, will begin training at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston in August.

Tingle, a U.S. Navy Commander of Hollywood, MD, is a test pilot and Assistant Program Manager-Systems Engineering at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. Born in Attleboro, he holds degrees from UMass Dartmouth and Purdue University.

"I planned an educational and training path focused on my interests which included science, engineering and flying...and then stuck to it," Tingle noted on the NASA web site.

"This is a very talented and diverse group we've selected," said Bill Gerstenmaier, Associate Administrator for Space Operations at NASA headquarters. "They will join our current astronauts and play very important roles for NASA in the future" In addition to flying in space, astronauts participate in every aspect of human spaceflight, sharing their expertise with engineers and managers across the country.

"We look forward to working with them as we transcend from the shuttle to our future exploration of space and continue the important engineering and scientific discoveries aboard the International Space Station," Gerstenmaier added in a statement.